Take legal action against those who gave order, instead withholding bowser permits: Bowser Assn.

The Power and Energy Minister should have taken legal action against the man who was behind giving order to issue fuel from the bowser, instead of withholding the permit of the bowser crew who issued fuel on their way to filling station, the Ceylon Petroleum Private Bowser Owners Association (CPPBOA) said.

Association secretary Shantha Silva said the Ceylon Petroleum Corporation (CPC) barred issuing fuel to cans since May 20, 2022.

However, the Minister has taken action to suspend three bowser permits for pumping out fuel illegally, to which a video footage circulated on social media bore testimony.

"While ignoring the law, the person in charge of the CPC distribution network who had given permission for this illegal pumping," he said.

He also alleged that two cans of petrol were given to the family members of the person who gave the order, to his family members who were waiting in a red-coloured vehicle which was parked  by the roadside.

"As a result, the Minister should take legal action against the person at the CPC distribution." The bowser driver and the helper had only followed his orders and they had nothing to do with that," he said.

Meanwhile, Silva stated that no petrol was issued from the Ceylon Petroleum Storage Terminals Limited, Kolonnawa due to the absence of sufficient volume of fuel. Therefore the petrol in question should have been issued from the Sapugaskanda Distribution Terminal.

Yesterday we had received 10 bowser loads of diesel from the Trincomalee oil tank farms, Shantha Silva said. (Chaturanga Samarawickrama)